Despite how quickly he was fishing at times, there was not one time during the 2026 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Norfork Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops where Kaden Buchmann seemed out of sorts.
Sure, there were moments he figured he would get a bite and didn’t, but the 22-year-old from Troutman, N.C. kept his head on straight and fished exactly how he wanted to all week long.
Speed, mental toughness and a keen ability to stay away from his fellow competitors led Buchmann to victory at a stingy (in terms of big bites anyway) Norfork Lake. And while the entire Top 10 was in contention to win, it never seemed like Buchmann was ever close to relinquishing control of his wire-to-wire effort.
Cody Stahl made a strong run at it, catching a 4-pounder late in the day, ultimately resulting in a runner-up finish for the Georgia native. Brennan Flick would have been closer had a 4-pounder not jumped out of his livewell and back in the water midway through the day. More on that in a minute.
Even Mike McClelland, an Ozark aficionado, couldn’t muster a comeback on Championship Friday, a day that appeared to be the toughest of the three days of competition. The Missouri pro remarked that the weekend boat traffic during practice improved the bite significantly, noting the water cleared up as the tournament progressed with less pleasure boaters on the water.
It was no doubt a tournament that tested the field, and many left without a passing grade, but Norfork Lake was compelling, nonetheless.
Mixing it up
With forward-facing sonar disallowed for this event, there was a nice mix of offshore and shallow tactics utilized at Norfork Lake. Up shallow, plopper-style baits and buzzbaits were a popular choice amongst competitors throughout the day, not just in the morning. Jigs were common on front decks too.
Cody Abbott was the only angler in the Top 10 utilizing an urchin-style bait which he used to catch bass he could see cruising the banks in ultra clear water. McClelland, meanwhile, utilized several smaller glidebait to generate bit bites.
Offshore, it was all about big jigs, either football jigs or structure jigs. Flick switched to a Carolina rig midway through Day 2 while Colby Bryant tossed a big crankbait to catch his 19-11 Day 2 limit.
Flick’s poise in the face of disappointment
When Flick, a Louisiana pro, landed a 4-pounder just before noon, it felt like the stars were aligning. The excitement of landing that bass almost immediately turned to shock and frustration.
Flick placed his bass inside the passenger side livewell and went to cull his smallest fish on the on the driver’s side, leaving the livewell lid open for his latest capture to jump clean out of the box to the back deck and then the lake. He attempted to grab it before it swam away but came up empty.
A 3-pound upgrade erased in a matter of seconds.
“It had to be that one. It couldn’t have been one of the little ones,” Flick said. “It hurt.”
Belly down on the back deck, his chances of winning now somewhere in the depths of the lake, Flick took a couple minutes to compose himself. When he reached his feet again, he gently tossed his hat on the front deck before making his next cast. He didn’t break his rod and he didn’t curse. He acknowledged how much it hurt but then went about his business.
“You can’t let your mentality ruin the day. Stuff happens. You don’t see Tiger Woods throw the putter when he misses a putt,” Flick said.
Slugfest on deck
Early reports coming from Toledo Bend indicate the lake is absolutely on fire with the best vegetation the powerhouse reservoir has seen in many years. Add forward-facing sonar into the mix, and there are sure to be fireworks on the Louisiana/Texas border in a few weeks’ time. There’s a chance this tournament could break, or at least come close to, breaking records.
The three-day total Buchmann posted might be eclipsed by a quarter of the field on Day 2 at Toledo Bend.
The performances of Flick and Colby Bryant are particularly impactful as they head back to their home states of Louisiana and Texas with momentum and confidence.
How competitors utilize their FFS and where will be fascinating. There have been very few national level fall tournaments that have showcased this bite. The last one that comes to mind was Lake Fork in 2020. Remember what happened then? Oh yeah, Patrick Walters blew the lid off the LiveScope can.
But watch out for the grass flippers.
